This invention relates generally to thin film battery construction and relates, more specifically, to means and methods by which thin film batteries are protected.
The metal lithium reacts rapidly upon exposure to atmospheric elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Thus, the lithium anode of a thin film battery will react in an undesirable manner upon exposure to such elements if the anode is not suitably protected. Other components of a thin film battery, such as a lithium electrolyte and cathode films, also require protection from exposure to air although these components are commonly not as reactive as thin metal anode films. It would therefore be desirable to incorporate within a lithium battery, which includes an anode of lithium and other air-reactive components, a packaging system that satisfactorily protects the battery components from exposure to air.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved means for protecting components of a thin film battery from atmospheric elements such as air and water vapor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such protecting means which is in the form of a packaging system for thin film lithium batteries.